When she gets angry she drops on her back and bangs the back of her head and starts screaming. Or when she is told no, she bangs her head on the wall or a blunt object. She has brusies which are very small, but it startles us so much.
2007-01-10 14:03:41 · 7 answers · asked by Luis D 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
OK, I'm not saying your kid is autistic, but I just saw a show that explained that autistic patients will bang their heads and injure themselves due to a lack of being able to communicate their thoughts and/or feelings to us correctly and the frustration causes the self-infliction of the injuries. With your child being of an age where her communication skills are lacking greatly, this may be what she is doing. When you tel her no, she wants to argue and tell you why she should be able to play with it. I would watch out for this one in the future, she's going to be a wild-child.
2007-01-10 14:13:07 · answer #1 · answered by Phat Kidd 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The "Terrible Two's" are well named and if you can get through them you have pretty smooth sailing until the hormones kick in during the teens.
Temper tantrums are another thing and not a wide spread sign of the transition years. Toddlers become frustrated when they attempt activities that they are not yet ready to perform. It is part of the growing and learning time, much sped up because of their newly achieved mobility. When they try and fail to reach or do something they can become angry and and impatient. Hitting, crying or yelling may result. But head banging can be dangerous and is not that common. The theory that seems the most probable is that some children become overly excited and disoriented. A form of hysteria sets in and the self-distructive behaviour occurs. It is likened to a frightened bird trying to flyout of it's cage and thrashing around, bouncing off the bars.
One method I have know to work is quickly immobilizing the child either by wrapping them in a blanket or holding them in your arms. It must be a firm hold, but not hurtful as they are probably having a hard time breathing anyway because of the tantrum. Call it a loving restraint. The adult must stay calm and use a shushing sound or humming. Words do not get through at this time to the child, but a kind of "white noise" sound may be helpful. Again, don't hold the child too tightly. Try to restrain the arms mainly. I've been kicked pretty good a couple of times, but better me with a bruise than my child with an injury.
And you need to pursue your inquiries a little farther with your doctor. It may be something more serious and you want to know as soon as possible if it is. It probably isn't, but some doctors just don't take the time to really make sure and your child is the one who pays for it. There are so many wonderful places on the WWWeb that you can look up and get help. This is a good place to ask others if they have had the problem, but go to the real expert web sites and do your research. Good Luck.
2007-01-10 22:40:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My little guy was doing that at about 18mo. He just did it if he didn't get his own way, having a tantrum etc and a few of my friends kids of the same age would do it to. It's just a phase. I ignored it, because the more ateention I gave him when he did it, the more he did it. So if he was banging his head on the door/wall or had thrown himself on the floor and was doing it, I would just step over/past him and go do something in another room. Then finally he realised that he was by himself and wasn't getting any response and would come looking for me, a lot calmer than he had been. Then I would sit down with him and talk to him about what he was doing and get him to acknowledge that it was silly/not nice etc...It's worked really well for me, and it's really little bit funny to see them come looking for you!! Cos we all need something to smile about after a tantrum!!
2007-01-10 22:26:33 · answer #3 · answered by morphed 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like she's doing it for effect and it's a very powerful way to get your attention. I'd put a towel under her head, tell her she has to use her words, and walk out of the room. Without an audience she should stop.
good luck!
2007-01-10 22:40:30 · answer #4 · answered by Sciencemom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My little boy did this also and it was very disturbing. However, don't worry - they just stop eventually. His doctor told us to ignore it and not make a big deal of it. Really, it was scary how hard he would pound his head. He was just trying to express himself. He's still a very stubborn guy. Good luck!
2007-01-10 22:59:13 · answer #5 · answered by Nina W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My one year old does this exact thing. And it really bothers us too. I asked my son's pediatrician about it on Monday at his check up and he said most likely it's for attention. He checked my son's ears to make sure there wasn't an infection and there wasn't. Since Monday, we've just been ignoring him when he does it. Haven't noticed any changes as it's only been 2 days, but.......You might have her doctor check her ears.
2007-01-10 22:09:05 · answer #6 · answered by Melissa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is her way of relieving stress, plus there's an added bonus, it drives y'all nuts and she knows it...Offer her develop other ways of coping, and don't pay any extra attention to the target behavior, toddlers are performers, any attention is the desired attention.
2007-01-12 04:02:32 · answer #7 · answered by gourmetkid 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋